Understanding the European Commission and Council

Posted on Mar 7, 2025 in International Relations

The European Commission

The EU’s executive body, responsible for proposing and implementing EU laws, monitoring the treaties, and the day-to-day running of the EU.

Key Responsibilities

  1. Proposing laws to the European Parliament and the Council of the EU.
  2. Managing the EU’s budget and allocating funding.
  3. Ensuring that EU law is complied with (together with the Court of Justice).

Enforcement of EU Law

  • First, it launches a legal process called the “infringement procedure”: sending the government an official letter explaining why the Commission considers they are infringing EU law and setting a deadline for sending the Commission a detailed reply.
  • If this procedure fails to correct matters, the Commission then refers the issue to the Court of Justice, which has the power to impose penalties. The Court’s judgements are binding on the Member States and the EU institutions.
  1. Representing the EU outside Europe (as a spokesperson), together with the EU’s diplomatic service, the European External Action Service, in areas of trade policy and humanitarian aid, allowing the 28 Member States to speak with one voice.

Directorates-General (DGs)

The Commission’s staff is organized into:

  • Departments, known as Directorates-General (DGs): each DG focuses on one policy area (e.g., trade).
  • Services (such as the Legal Service). Each DG is responsible for a particular policy area — for example, the Trade DG and the Competition DG — and is headed by a Director-General who is answerable to one of the Commissioners.

Selecting the President

  • Every five years, the European Council proposes a Commission presidential candidate to the European Parliament.
  • The proposal is made based on the political makeup of the Parliament following EP elections.
  • If an absolute majority of members of the EP support the nominee, he or she is elected.
  • The president-elect selects potential Vice-Presidents and Commissioners based on suggestions from EU countries.
  • The list of nominees has to be approved by all EU heads of state or government, meeting in the European Council.
  • Each nominee must appear before the parliamentary committee with responsibility for his or her proposed portfolio.
  • Parliament as a whole votes whether or not to approve the entire team. Following Parliament’s vote, the Commissioners are appointed by the European Council.

The European Council

The European Council provides general political direction and priorities for the EU.

  • It brings together the EU’s top political leaders (Prime Ministers and Presidents).
  • They meet four times per year with the President of the Commission and the Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy to set direction and priorities.
  • It represents the highest level of political cooperation between EU Member States.
  • The European Council does not adopt legislation.
  • At the end of each meeting, it issues conclusions.
  • It identifies major issues to be dealt with by the Council, i.e., the meetings of ministers.

President of the European Council

The President is elected by the European Council every two and a half years.

The President coordinates work and chairs the European Council. Together with the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, he or she represents Union interests in foreign affairs and security matters.

Decision Making

European Council decisions are mostly made by consensus, but also by qualified majority. When the European Council decides by vote, only the Heads of State or Government may cast a vote.